This past weekend I installed a dedicated USB + PD ("Power Delivery" for laptops) charger.

I tried to make it look as clean and professional as possible by putting it on the shifter garnish trim piece opposite of the hazard light button.

For the parts - I bought a panel-mount 12v USB charger (it's got two QuickCharge 3.0 USB ports, plus a USB-C PowerDelivery port, a digital voltmeter, and an on/off button). I also got a "fuse tap" type connector and tapped into the same fuse circuit as the front accessory port. This means that it's only on when the vehicle ignition is on. Wiring is all run behind the dash and connected by zipties to existing wiring bundles.

The one tool I really needed for this job was a stepped-drill-bit (which I don't own), so I ended up taping over the right side of that plate with masking tap, then marking my hole on the tape, then I just drilled a bunch of small holes around the inside of the marked cutout then used a rasp bit in my drill to round it out and expand the hole until my charger --just-- fit snugly through it. Then just sanded up all the rough edges, removed the tape, installed the charger in the new hole, wired it all up and put the dash back on.

It came out super-clean and I'm happy with how it looks and works.

The rubber parts (on both the outside and the inside of the front windows)...for a 2004 Honda Element EX (see photo).

I think I have identified the inside part as the following:

Weatherstrip, R Front Door (Inner) Part Number: 72335-SCV-A00

This part shows up on the "Interior > FrontDoorLining" exploded parts view (like this one: https://www.hondapartswholesale.com/v-2004-honda-element--ex--2-4l-l4-gas/interior-bumper--front-door-lining ) as part number 6 [right door] and 8 [left door] )

But I haven't been able to identify that outside part of it and I need that also.

In one of my earlier posts (the one about diagnosing and resolving my airbag light), I'd made the decision to buy a modern OBD / Diagnostic tool capable of reading specialized diagnostic modules beyond just engine codes. I already own several of the older inexpensive ELM327 bluetooth readers such as those made by Veepeak but they only read engine codes and can't scan other discrete modules like Supplemental Restrain System (SRS).

The Blcktec 430 Telematics claimed it could read those other systems and it seemed the 2004 Honda Element was compatible, so I ordered one to help with my diagnosis.

First Use Unboxing was easy, and so was installing the software (I'm using Android). Pairing was painless. The first thing the software wanted to do after opening it was upgrade the firmware on the dongle itself, so I let it, and that completed without issue on the fist try.

First Scan I'll be honest - I did not read any of the instruction manual. IMO, any piece of consumer technology (whether that be hardware, software, or a combination of hardware & software) that's been designed well should be intuitive to use without having to RTFM. It was easy enough to run that first scan (took under a minute), and the scan did detect that the airbag light was triggered, but it didn't show me the actual diagnostic code. I quickly discovered that the app software for scanning the separate sub-modules was not included with the original app download but there was an option to download them (free), so I started that download and selected everything (might as well scan everything). After that download finished, I restarted a 'full scan' hitting all modules.

Second Scan This second took much longer - felt like somewhere between 7 and 10 minutes. I felt very optimistic that I was finally going to discover exactly why my airbag light keeps coming on. Unfortunately, when this second scan concluded, it again failed to show me an explicit diagnostic code coming from the SRS system and instead only showed me that there was a general airbag light warning on the dash. At this point I read the manual start to finish, went online to try to confirm that this unit is compatible with my vehicle, and after neither of those gave me any more info.

Third Scan This time, I decided to scan JUST the SRS module (an option in the provided software). I should also point out that for each of my previous scans, the software tried to automatically read my VIN and failed (maybe a limitation of the OBD software from 2004) and was required to hand-enter my vin multiple times. This got tedious quick. It eventually did stop asking me to hand enter the VIN so I think this is just buggy software. I tried several times to scan just the SRS module and it kept failing to get the scan underway with a communication error. I'm starting to think this device maybe can't read my SRS module.

I reached out to the company directly via email. It took them a few days to replay to my inquiry but they asserted it was compatible with my vehicle and should be capable of reading the SRS module codes but that the SRS system was not compatible with their "live data" mode (where you can actually see the individual data triggers toggling as you do something to the vehicle).

Fourth Try After their reply, I went back out to the Element, plugged in the scanner, and tried reading the SRS module one more time (if this didn't work, I was sending the unit back). This time it worked flawlessly. I can't explain it. Maybe the device and the car needed to be restarted after that earlier firmware update? Not only did it work, but it successfully read the code being thrown by the SRS module and I finally now knew the problem was with the driver seat belt buckle 'unbuckled' state. Whew.

Conclusion Ultimately, I decided to keep this unit since it finally did do exactly what I needed it to do, but I think Blcktec has some work to do on the software. For the price, it will get you access to info and modules you can't read with a traditional engine-only OBD scanner, and the next least-cost option for this kind of power is almost twice as expensive. At the end of the day, this "Blcktec 430 Telematics" IS compatible with the Honda Element - you just have to get past some quirks of how to use it.

Link to June 29 2023 post by CarHP Senior Editor Nathan Dryer article

This is from May 2023. There are a few of these 'rumors' articles floating around. I'll post a few of the better ones.

I hear this is a common problem, and it's plagued my Honda Element since I've owned it (I am 2nd owner).

Intermittently, the airbag dash light will just come on. I previously didn't have a code-reader to be able to get the specific code or troubleshoot, but I did lookup and find a way to reset the light, which usually left it off for a few months before it would come back on again. I'd always assumed it was from junk getting rammed under the driver or passenger seat and disturbing one of the many wiring harness connections under there.

Here's how to reset the light without using an expensive diagnostic tool: "How to Turn Off the Air Bag light On my Honda Element - SRS Light Reset" by Youtuber "Element Lifestyle" - https://youtu.be/NW-ehRKniIA

I even had this vehicle into Honda for the airbag recall a couple years ago and they said everything was fine after doing the work (and they had reset the airbag light on the dash).

Recently, past few months, the light has been coming on after days or even hours after a reset and I finally decided to try to diagnose the problem and resolve it.

Unfortunately, none of my OBDII code readers are compatible with reading SRS (Supplementary Restraint System) module codes, so I decided to order a new bluetooth OBD dongle that claimed to be compatible with SRS module codes (I'll have a future post reviewing this dongle in the future). There's also an OG method for blinking the codes out on the dash if you want to try it. Follow this guide "How to Pull Honda Codes Without a Scanner" by Youtuber "EricTheCarGuy" - https://youtu.be/8M5BaAa6tCM ).

After finally reading the SRS Module codes, I discover the actual code being thrown is "61-10" which is "Open in Driver's Seat Belt Buckle Switch".

I found this exceptionally helpful "DIY fix for your car's intermittent airbag/seat belt light" by Youtuber "Worse Than Chiggers" - https://youtu.be/deO2v_ljzHw. I followed this guide mostly - things I did different: I disconnected the negative battery cable first, and I did not remove the seat - I just took apart the buckle in place. I did end up having to spray electrical connection cleaner under the little boot (as pictured in the video) and even sacrificed a straight-pin to make the same tool this guy made for pulling the tiny little rubber boot open.

After all that, I think it's fixed. Airbag light has been off for over a week and everything is working great. Alternatively, a replacement driver's side buckle assembly is about $250 from Honda, and I'm trying to avoid that if possible. Unfortunately, there isn't much out there in the way of aftermarket parts for this kind of thing.

As I said earlier, this seems to be a pretty common issue, so I hope this info helps someone.

About 8 months ago my Element EX (with about 160k miles) suddenly lost power on the highway while traveling up a steep hill. The auto trans had just downshifted, RPMs climbed higher - I was cruising at around 65mph. It felt like a stall, but it did stumble a bit around 1k RMP and then regained power. I thought it was a fluke and then it happened again. Decided to cancel my trip and turn around for home before I got too far away.

I started looking into the problem but found there were several possible causes, but the main symptoms are: hesitation or stalling around or above 3k RPM, and also the check engine code P2646.

In the meantime, I cleared the code, changed my oil (dirty oil is one possible cause) and started driving it around for short trips. In the next 4 months it never happened again so I assumed the issue was resolved by changing the oil. Then about 4 months ago it happened again...and again...and again. At some point, my wife refused to be in that car with me until I found and positively fixed the problem.

After a bunch more research, I became convinced the problem was with my VTEC Solenoid Assembly. I thought about rebuilding for the common problem, but fully rebuilt units are pretty inexpensive so I just bought a whole new replacement assembly for under $40 on Amazon. Here's a link to the one I bought:

https://a.co/d/3NHE8dy

This solenoid assembly has 3 major components: an oil pressure sensor (with dedicated wiring harness), a solenoid (also with its own dedicated separate wiring harness), and a screen and gasket piece. Any one of these three major pieces can cause the problem.

After the new unit arrived, I set out to remove the old unit. It's on the backside of the engine so you are working blind with the tools, but luckily you don't have to remove any other parts of the engine to gain access. The hardest part was the fact that the 3 bolts are angled toward the ground by about 15 degrees...and so my assumption that they were parallel to the ground was causing me to slip the wrench a bunch when trying to unbolt them. After getting the old unit out, it was obvious my problem was the screen. It was super clogged.

Putting the new unit back in went pretty smooth. I did have to create some clearance between the unit and the protective shroud to make room for the wiring harness pigtail connecting to the oil pressure sensor piece, but that shroud was soft and easily bent to make the clearance. The post photo shows the difference between stock part (left) and aftermarket part (right) - the wiring harness for the oil pressure sensor is the lower left connector in the photo.

2-days after getting it installed, and after a bunch of proving drives, I took the vehicle on a 400 mile road trip without issue. Problem solved.

This YouTube video was SUPER-HELPFUL. I followed exactly what this guy did.

https://youtu.be/4SBY0O8a8dw

I kept my old unit. Definitely keep your old unit if you do this swap. I'm going to get a new screen and gasket and rebuild my old one to keep as a ready spare in case I need to do this again some day.

Hope this helps anyone experiencing the same issues.